pregnancy photos i can live with

My sweet darling husband surprised me with the gift of a maternity photo session! We took pregnancy photos with Noah, and he didn't want London (yes, London!) to be left out. Although his sentiments and action behind this gift are incredibly thoughtful, the idea of a professional photo session in my current state brings on a world of dread! Firstly, and mainly because I'm a vain vain creature, and certainly not in the best shape of my life! Alas though, I agree, I wouldn't want my London to feel left out. This pregnancy is just as special and anticipated as the first.

To top my "not-feeling-so-hot-these-days" self image, I'm also extremely particular about photography. We've been so blessed to have friends with serious photo skills (we'll be working with Erica Rankin), so I don't have to worry at all about the quality of the pictures, just how I'll look in them! So, I've been trying to find some artsy maternity photos that hopefully will make me want to order prints rather than stash the finished CD far away.

In my search, I found many cheesy de`cheese of de`cheesiest pregnancy pictures, and goodness knows, I can't stand the cheese. So I think simple and heavily edited will be the way to go! Here are some ideas I've found that I think I could live with.

Photos like this seem to be favorites as I search. A close up of the belly with an intense highlighted edit.

(seen here.)

This one seems simple, and I like the idea of the flowing wrap that extends past the width of the picture. What would I use...a sheet?

 (seen here.)

Noah has got to be in a few of the pictures. I like this one with just his arm, hand and my belly. Simple and sweet. I would want the lighting done a bit different...more washed out perhaps? And I would be wearing bottoms!

(seen here.)

If I was Posh Spice, I might have something like this done:

(seen here.)

or this:

from here.

And if I was Scary Spice, I might have something like this done (ha!):

(seen here.)

Something about this one is quirky and cute. Of course I would use one of my gorgeous Anthropologie tea cups, and I would want the editing to be done much differently. Not a fan of the oh-so-obvious Olan Mills background (oh man, i can be snobby sometimes. forgive me!).

(seen here.)

Maybe something like this with some of her tiny booties in my hand instead of an apple.

(seen here.)

I like the idea of a few of my favorite baby items photographed in an artsy way.

(seen here.)


This site wouldn't allow me to copy a picture onto my post, but I like the fourth and sixth photos down from the top. I like the angle of the camera on the fourth one.  I think that the lens pointed down on me would be a more flattering shot versus peering up from beneath me. And on the sixth one, I like the close up of the belly, while using a heavy highlight in the editing process.

The second one down on this blog is interesting. I like the lighting and editing...it seems to have a vintage feel almost.

The first picture on this blog is quite sweet. The photographer has the husband in the shot too, but still a close up of their torsos. Again, with a heavy edit on the lighting.


If you have ANY ideas, please send them to me! We've got a couple weeks to go before the shoot.

dreaming of where i could dream

it's kind of amazing and a little depressing how quickly ones taste can change in decor. at least mine. just when i thought i knew what i liked (straight lines, pottery-barnish type furnishings), and after we invested some actual money into bedroom furniture, i find that i've shifted away from the finished, matchy look. 

in the end this really is all just too bad for me, because my husband is a believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." and our bedroom set (yes, it's a "set"...sigh), is only four years old, and it certainly ain't broke. i'm sure we'll have it for a long time to come, but in the meantime, here are some designs that make me want to sell what i have and start over! (a girl can dream.)

i don't think i could be more in love with this bedroom. it is beautiful! may be i can find a headboard like this for the guest bed at least?

(source: decorology)

and this one is so sweet...i can see it as a girl's room or even a guest room.

(source: decorology)

i would never have enough confidence to put these bold colors together, but they completely work and are stunning!

(source: decorology)

this one is just sexy.

(source: decorology)

 this room is pretty busy, but i'm drawn to it (everything except the zebra print ottoman that is).

(source: apartment therapy)

oh, and this one is so pretty! the wallpaper is such a fun vintage print.

(source: roomenvy)

i'll keep dreaming and living vicariously through the other rooms in our house!

tacky beach towels

 

why is it that despite my overly picky taste, i own and use the tackiest beach towels known to man? really bright harsh colors with some sort of 80's beach scene sewn in them...oh they're bad! every summer for years i've thought how i'd like to invest in some new, not-quite-so-hidious towels, but it never seems to be a budgetary priority. one day i will make this happen! 

may be i'll get something simple like these:

 source

source

or cutsie like these:

source

source

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actually, plush and modern sounds perfect:

source

reduce, reuse, recyle - t-shirts

matt (my mr.) has a plethora of old, kind-of nasty, yellow pit stained undershirts. i've recently been replacing them with new ones, and so i'm left with this massive pile of the old. this picture is just what i took out of his drawer a few days ago. i have another huge bag stuffed in my closet.

it hurt my heart a little to think of just throwing out such a large stash, and since i have no idea how fast cotton material decomposes, i just couldn't do it. giving them away is not an option since they are slightly disgusting, so my search began. 

i found some ridiculous ideas, like making a dress out of them (just dumb - who wants a dress that looks like your man's undershirt?), and some overtly obvious ideas, like using them for cleaning or waxing your car - i already have a stash of rags for those purposes. anyway, i did come across clever ideas, so if you have this same problem, here's what you can do:

-save a few for coloring your hair, or painting, or anything else messy you or your kids do

-use them for packing christmas ornaments away, or as packing material for shipping

-cut up small squares to keep for cleaning eyeglasses or polishing jewelry

and if you have a baby, these ideas are fantastic, and will probably be how i will end up using my t-shirt stash:

-cut up squares and use as reusable baby wipes for diapering or clean-up wipes at meal times. if you're already using cloth diapers (which we did for noah and will for baby girl), then you can just throw them in the wash together. i read a tip to double the material when making, so serious messes don't leak through so easily.

-t-shirt trash liners (aka, trash bags). those of us who use cloth diapers are probably trying to save money and the environment, so natalie from old made new, came up with this brilliant idea to line your cloth diaper pail with a t-shirt-created liner, rather than buying and wasting plastic liners. and again, just like the wipes, you can throw it in the wash with your diapers. so smart!

-and finally, along similar lines, natural violet gives a great tutorial on how to make your own cloth diapers from t-shirts.  if you dare to be so ambitious, they are super cute!

source 1

source 2

friends with skillzzz

i love to bake. and a lot of the time, my goodies turn out pretty decent. what i'm not good at though, is attention to detail. 

i tell myself that i like organic, rustic looking cakes to give myself an out for the less than perfect result. or "as long as it tastes good, isn't that really what matters?" (which is such a lie since i firmly believe you eat with your eyes first!) i just become a lot more interested in the final product than the steps involved in getting there. i'm so impatient! i do, however have some friends who have much more perseverance than i do, and have come up with some beautiful creations. so lovely in fact, i have to share them.

this is missy, and she made that hunk-a-hunk of burning cake love right there. if i attempted such a feat, the 73 layers would have slid off of each other right onto the floor. hers however, turned out beautiful!

she also made this sweet circus cake for her little griffin's first birthday.

and this one she made because she thought it sounded amazing (which it does...dulce de leche cake!), and she added the paper flower on top for a little flare! isn't it so pretty?

friend shanna also makes amazing creations that i would never be able to mimic. she made these lovely detailed cupcakes for her daughter reese's third birthday. they look so professional!

and these pirate cakes she made for her son aidan's party. unbelievable!

 and check out these romantic cookie trays from bff sarah. she made all of these little delights for my baby shower back in 2008. don't you love the way they're all displayed?

and one more lovely creation from the little man dearest to my heart, my noah. he decorated his own cupcake at his friend lee's birthday party. i think it just might be my favorite!

all of a sudden i have a sweet tooth...

ideas are a-flowin'!

i mean really...

source

source

there are just so many sweet options! i really love the massive rustic mirror hanging behind the dresser in the room right above. it adds so much character to the space and is completely unexpected as it juxtaposes the stereotypical wall decor of a baby's room. oh the possibilities!

after spending some time searching girls' rooms online, i think i've finally found some items that could pull my vision together.  here's what i've got so far.

this:

and this

and these!

and this gorgeous tie back to go with the lovely curtains:

and every baby's room needs a rug, right?

and of course a sweet blanket to go with simple bedding:

and just this one more thing for now:

this is so much fun! creating a room from scratch is just a darn good time. can't wait to meet the baby girl to fill the space and really give it life.

retro dresser and nightstand

i found a retro dresser and nightstand for noah's new room! and for 50 bucks! total score. i can't decide whether to leave them this light wood color, or paint them something funky, or may be just like a gray? hmmmm...

now, if i can only find the right bed.

a boy's bed

the search for the "big boy bed" is on! i've found several kinds of beds that i like for noah's room, but i can't figure out where to buy them! if my mr. wasn't so busy or my dad lived closer they could easily make one of these. they're so simple. we kind of need it asap too...if only there was an ikea closer!!! i know they have something similar to some of these. oh well!

room envy

home designing

home designing

home designing

rustic and romantic girl's room

obviously, i've started the hunt for the new baby's room, as this is my second post this morning about nursery decor! 

this is a strong contestant for the direction i might head in for my little girl's room. i love how eclectic and rustic and romantic it is. just beautiful.

Check out this link for more pictures.

if i were having a boy...

...i'd want to decorate his room something like this! figures, on my search for baby girl nursery inspiration, i find a baby boy's room i'm in love with! maybe we'll just have to try for a third... ;)

and i might have to give matt a project after seeing this armchair turned rocker. how smart? i've been really disappointed in the glider we got when we had noah...i can't stand the way it looks, and the slider mechanisms often catch. i'd love to have a rocker that's as gorgeous as this one!

see tons more inspiration at oh dee doh.